Sadness And Sorrow
by Ziggurat Rolsovitch
Summary: Head-cannon deleted scene from Season Four's Episode 8, 'Too Far Gone' Daryl and Beth are on the run after the prison was compromised.


Title: **Sadness And Sorrow**  
Category: TV Shows » Walking Dead  
Author: Kashim Kururugi  
Language: English  
Rating: T  
Genre: Angst/Romance  
Published: 12/1/13

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead, but... I've been pondering and pondering and tonight's episode has pushed me over the edge. I ship DarylxBeth. Somebody stop me now before it's too late! *rolls away* Behold this fanfiction of stuff... and things...

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Stay in right here; stay in the bus. That was what she was supposed to do that was her duty. They all had a duty that they had to do and this was hers. She could only give it up to God and pray her sister would be alright. Right now Beth was doing her utmost to keep the tears at bay as she stepped up the stairs into the bus. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes quickly, before she looked over everyone on the bus, trying to get a head count and make sure everyone was there.

"Where are the kids?" She asked suddenly and the woman that had been guiding everyone on shook her head. Damnit! Her heart set into a speedy pace, pounding so very hard she thought it might just burst right out of her chest as she turned and leapt down the stairs and ran back towards the cell blocks. She had to find them! Judith! It was her job to watch over her, she'd been given that duty. Rick trusted her to keep his daughter safe and Beth would keep her safe or she was going to die trying.

She ran as fast as her body could carry her towards the cellblock. It was blown to pieces, little pieces of nothing and… Judith wasn't anywhere to be seen. "No!" Fresh tears filled her eyes as she searched through the rubble. She couldn't find her at all; maybe someone else had gotten her? That had to be it; she wasn't buried under any of this rubble. There was no way that could possibly be.

With that she turned and sprinted from the cellblock. The other children must have taken her and headed for the bus. There was no other explanation; she would accept no other alternative. Judith was fine and they were on the bus waiting right now. As she exited out of the cellblock and into the fray once more she turned a corner and went straight down where she spotted Daryl as he put down one of The Governor's soldiers mercilessly, but she didn't feel bad for the man, because they had mercilessly killed her… no… she couldn't think like that. Instead she approached Daryl and upon his surprised look she explained.

"I was trying to find the kids to get them on the bus."

"We gotta go Beth. We gotta go." His voice sounded rougher than she had ever heard before, almost as if even this strong, fearless warrior before her was on the verge of tears. Instead of questioning it she nodded and followed him as he led her off towards where the bus… should… have been waiting. "The hell are they?!"

"They must have had to go in a hurry…" Beth replied and he shook his head and grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her abruptly with him.

"Come on." Now it was Daryl's turn for his heart to betray him, because he was terrified of having to be the one responsible for Beth's life. He had wanted to shove her onto the bus and head off to get his bike and then hunt everyone down and regroup. Change of plans now though, he had to take her with him and get her out of her safely. For Hershel.

He raised his bow against his shoulder and they slowly made their way back through the compound to get to his bike. Luckily most of the walkers were too busy filling their stomachs on the dead left behind from the fight to take notice of them. His lips turned down in a frown as he noticed one of their own and he spared an arrow so that they wouldn't have to turn into a flesh eating monster like some of those militia bastards that attacked them would. Around the corner, there was his baby, waiting for him to return.

He settled down in the seat and waved for Beth to come over and get on, since she seemed to be hesitating. Her gaze lingered over towards the torn open gates and he silently understood, but now wasn't the time to discuss it, so he waved again and she finally came over to him and mounted the bike behind him. The start of the engine drew attention from the walkers, but they were already making their way out before any of them could even _start_ walking towards them.

"Hold on tight otherwise I ain gonna know if you've fallen off!" Daryl ordered firmly and although she wasn't exactly sure about it she reluctantly obeyed the command and he sped up and they rolled out onto the road and roared down the highway shortly after. She watched the leaves forced away from the road by the breeze as they turned a long corner and she felt a little fear of them falling or crashing on this thing, because it would definitely be a painful fall if that were to happen, but he was experienced right? He wouldn't let them crash would he?

She wouldn't even dare utter the words 'maybe we should slow down to him' no because that would be too scary of a thing even for her to do. He was all she had right now and Daryl had been good to them after all. He had taken care of them for so long, just as much as everyone else… maybe even more if she dared go that far. Beth started to relax at those thoughts. Daryl was fine and he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

They continued to drive on and on until Daryl glanced up and noticed the storm clouds gathering in the distance. It looked like they had no other choice but to pull over and find somewhere to take shelter for the night until the storm passed. He couldn't keep his bike driving throughout the night like he might be able to with a car. Unfortunately. He started to look around, left and right and for a long while of driving down the empty blacktop it seemed as if they wouldn't find anything until he spotted a mailbox. He took the chance and slowed down and turned down that road abruptly.

"Where are we going?" Beth questioned in confusion.

"Storms comin'. Can't drive in that on this." He answered her as they drove down the dirt road and came to a slow stop in front of a small two story cabin. Well… at least it should be steady enough to bare the storm. Tornados were the last thing they needed to be worried about on top of walkers and militia running rampant. "Stay close to me."

He shut the motor off and got off the bike, holding it steady for her to get off as well before he walked it around towards the house. He'd hide it here in the bush just in case any remainders of the militia were out looking for them.

Beth followed him as he hide the bike and then readied his bow as he made his way into the house and started a room by room search. It was clear by how everything was thrown about that whoever had lived here had thrown their things into bags, packed and left without a second glance back.

"This room looks clear." She said softly, not wanting to speak in too loud a tone.

"The first floor is clear." He walked into the room and pulled all the curtains closed quickly. "I'm going to check up stairs. Stay here with your back to the corner" He lightly pushed her into the corner so she would be able to see anything before it got closed to her then made his way up the stairs.

She bit her lip and remained silent, feeling her heart start up that quick, scared rhythm. She glanced from left to right, making sure nothing was coming from either direction. "Daryl…?" Beth called quietly, hoping that everything was fine. Her only reply was a light shuffling sound and she squeezed the knife at her hip tighter in worry.

Footsteps slowly came down the stairs and her eyes widened and her grip became even tighter as the shadow stopped at the bottom step. "It's clear. Come on upstairs. Don't wanna be trapped on the first floor. If anything comes we can sneak out an upstairs window and have easy access to escape outside."

"Right." She nodded and quickly walked past him, it surprised him and he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yes. Of course." She replied suddenly and he released her, holding his hands up at the snappish tone she gave and there was a tensed moment of silence before she hurried up the stairs. He slung his bow over his shoulder and then started up after her.

"They left the blankets on the bed. You can take it." He told her and she nodded and sat down, wiping at her eyes. "Hey, ya' don have to cry. My feelin's ain hurt or nothin'."

Beth sniffled and felt the tears finally falling free at the same time thundered rumbled and the sky began to weep just the same. She couldn't stop the tears this time no matter how hard she tried to tell herself to toughen up and accept what happened. Daryl closed the door and pushed a dresser in front of it before setting his crossbow down on the floor and approaching her.

She wiped at her eyes just as he kneeled in front of her. "S-sorry… I c-can't."

"S'alright. You can cry." He told her as he wrapped his arms around the small girl to attempt and comfort her however he possibly could. She had just lost her father and it was hard. He understood that perfectly well. For once there was no hesitation as she hugged him back and cried freely into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He honestly was. It couldn't have happened to a kinder man. Hershel had never deserved that. His daughters didn't deserve this pain that one eyed bastard had caused them; they didn't deserve it at all.

The rain continued to pour as did her tears and he wondered if it would go on all night; though if it did he was sympathetic and understanding, but sleep was merciful and came to her somewhat quickly. It was a sad thing for a person to literally cry themselves to sleep, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. He just hoped everyone else was alright. Once he was sure she was deep enough in sleep he tucked her into bed and then sat on the floor, using the bed as support as he watched the door in silence.

Nothing would get through there without alerting him first, but still he was jumpy and on edge and didn't feel like he could sleep just yet, but whatever happened he'd keep her safe and then they would regroup with everyone else, find a new safe place and return things to a semi balance of the peace that they had had before. Somehow they would manage and get through this alright.

Suddenly the bed shifted and there were quite mumbles and whimpers before Beth sat up heaving from a nightmare apparently.

"Hey, easy now, girl yer fine." He turned slightly to the side and set a hand over hers, his larger, rough one completely enveloping her smaller, delicate one. Lightning flashed outside the window and he glanced out briefly. It was strange to see it so clear outside, not a single walker in sight. His attention was draw back to her when a tear fell from her eye and dripped onto his hand, followed by another and another.

"Daryl… when it's safe enough… can we go back…? Just… so I can bury him?" Beth requested quietly and he sighed deeply. It wasn't that he didn't want to, because he would be more than happy to go back and give Hershel a good burial that he deserved, but it may not be safe there again for a long time and worse off Hershel might be partially reanimated. He didn't know if he could take shooting through his head and burying two parts of the man; didn't even know if Beth could take seeing it.

"Yea… suppose so." He certainly wasn't going to tell her no.

"Darly…" Another rumble of thunder filled the short silence that passed between them.

"Yea?"

"You should really rest. I can keep watch."

"Naw. You catch up on yer sleep. Imma keep watch over things here." He replied, bringing a leg up and draping an arm over his knee.

"I don't think I can go back to sleep anyways. I don't wanna have any more of those nightmares." She admitted and he nodded in understanding.

"I know the feeling." He made to take his hand away, but her other hand set over his and he raised a brow at her as she traced over the small cuts in his hands; some fresh from the fight and some old ones healing from being hard at work every day. It brought things into prospective how hard his daily chores had been.

"Thanks for everything." She told him, briefly wondering if anyone had every said it to him before now or not.

"Don't mention it." He said and leaned his head back against the mattress to stare at the dark ceiling, which occasionally turned a light blue with the sporadic flash of lightning. "Once we regroup we'll figure somethin' out. We'll survive."

"Yeah. We always do." She replied assuredly.

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FIN?


End file.
